Package of cans and a clip for interconnecting cans



Dec, 12, N5? J DE SHAZOR, JR

PACKAGE OF CANS AND A CLIP FOR INTERCONNECTING CANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Feb. 12, 1962 m ra/vraz filmy C 0.9 5474/ Dec. 12 1%? J13. DESHAZOFE. JR

A CLIP FOR INTERCONNECTING CANS CANS AND PACKAGE OF 3 Sheets-$heet FiledFeb. 12, 1962 E @W H. LAM J. c. DE SHAZOR, JR 3,357,553

PACKAGE OF CANS AND A CLIP FOR INTERCONNEGTING CANS Filed Feb. 12, 19625 Sheets$heet United States Patent 3,357,551 PACKAGE 0F CANS AND A CLIPF012 INTERQONNECTING CANS James C. De Shazor, Jra, Van Nuys, Califi,assignor to Comhi-Clip Co., Hollywood, (Ialifi, a corporation ofCalifornia Filed Feb. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 174,655 14 Claims. (Cl. 206-65)This invention relates to a clip or fastening device for releasablysecuring together a plurality of peripherally beaded cans to create aunitary group of cans for handling as a single package.

This is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No.100,618, filed April 4, 1961, by James C. De Shazor, Jr., for Clip forInterconnecting Cans, now abandoned.

it is desirable to market canned goods in multiple-unit packages, and itis a common practice to use paper cartons for this purpose. Papercartons, however, are relatively expensive to make and to assemble withcans therein. Paper cartons, moreover, completely conceal the cans. Inaddition, paper cartons lack strength and are vulnerable to weakening bymoisture.

Because of these disadvantages, various types of sheet metal clips forinterconnecting cans have been suggested, but for various reasons, nonehave been accepted for widespread usage. One serious disadvantage isthat sheet metal stampings for this purpose have relatively sharp edgesthat too often cut through the protective coatings of the metal cans andpermit subsequent corrosion, Another disadvantage is that the sharpedges of a sheet metal clip are exposed when the clip is removed by apurchaser.

The invention avoids these disadvantages by providing a molded plasticclip having unique configuration features. The sharp edges of a plasticclip cannot gouge or otherwise damage the protective coatings of cans. Afeature of the invention, moreover, is the concept of providing guardprojections adjacent the sharp edges to reduce the likelihood of anyonebeing injured by the sharp edges after the clip is removed by apurchaser from a group of cans.

Another teaching of the invention is that a plastic clip molded for thispurpose may be formed to any desired configuration and may be thickenedin various parts of the configuration for strength or for ornamentalappearance. A sheet metal stamping cannot be formed with locallythickened portions and, therefore, cannot have the structural andornamental advantages of a clip molded of plastic.

Another advantage is found in a carrier clip that has a central fingerhole to facilitate the carrying of a multiple-unit package by apurchaser. If the clip is made of sheet metal, the finger hole has ametal edge that may be a source of discomfort to a person carrying thepackage. Flanging or rolling the sheet metal edge is not a satisfactorysolution. If the clip is made of plastic, however, the finger hole maybe formed with relatively wide rounded edge that cannot causediscomfort.

Another difficulty with many of the prior art can clips, especiallythose which were formed for metal stampings and the like, relates to theproblem of ease of assembly and disassembly of the carried containers.It will be apparent that metal stamping per se provides relatively rigidstructure and, accordingly, special bending operations and the like wererequired to assemble the clip to the cans. Additionally, after assembly,the relatively rigid clip made it difiicult for the ultimate user todisassemble the cans from each other. As noted above, the metal clipsfrequently had relatively sharp edges and a disassembly operation by theuser presented potential hazard in re personal injury. Further, thegeneral flexibility of the dis- 3,357,551 Patented Dec. 12, 1967 closedarrangement contributes to safety in carrying the can arrangements. Thatis, for example, when a group of six cans are associated with one of theherein disclosed clips, it will be seen that opposed finger holes areprovided whereby the user may grasp the associated cans by using histhumb and the middle finger. In the carrying action, of couse, the thumband finger direct pressure toward each other and against the associatedclip. Thus, the natural carrying action and the flexibility of the cliptends to bias the cans together tightly in a group which avoidsaccidental disassociation during user transport.

Further features of the disclosed invention relate to appropriatecamming structure in the design of the clip per so which, when combinedwith the inherent flexibility of the clip, provide easy assembly of theclip to the can. In effect, the bead associated with the can end isnaturally guided into assembled and locking relationship with the clip.Of course, the inherent flexibility of the arrangement also accommodatesready disassembly by the user in view of the fact that the cooperatingparts of the clip which provide can retention may be easily biased awayfrom each other and Without the use of excessive pressure or a hand toolwhereby the can simply and easily demounts from the clip. For thispurpose, certain disclosed embodiments'of the invention provide readilyaccessible tabs. These and other features of the disclosed inventionwill be readily appreciated by a complete review of the specificationand drawings.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of marginal tongueportions shaped to facilitate disengagement of the clip from the cans ofa group. The flexible tongues are tapered on their undersides tofacilitate manual lifting of the tongues by the purchaser. The featuresand advantages of the invention may be understood from the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, which is to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a group of six cans interconnected bytwo plastic clips in accord with the teachings of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan View of one of the plastic clips of FIGURE1 showing how the plastic clip interconnects a group of four cans;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken as indicated by theline 33 of FIGURE 2 and showing the cross-sectional configuration ofhook elements of the clip;

FIGURE 4 is a similar cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4- ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view similar to FIG- URE 2 showinghow theclip may be constructed to interconnect only two cans;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view of a third embodiment of the clip forinterconnecting three cans;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view on a reduced scale of a case ofmetal cans with the first embodiment of the invention in use tointerconnect cans in the case;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken as indicated by theline 88 of FIGURE 5 and showing a projecting guard rib adjacent a tooth;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention andillustrating a multiple clip unit;

FIGURE 10 is a partially sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIGURE9;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 1111 ofFIGURE 9;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 12-12 ofFIGURE 9;

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along line1313 of FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 1414 ofFIGURE 9.

The first embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4,inclusive, comprises a single body of plastic of suitable strength andflexibility, for example, an impact-type polystyrene. This particularembodiment of the invention is constructed to interlock foursymmetrically arranged, tangentially abutting tin cans, the individualcans being indicated by the letter C. As best shown in FIGURE 3, the topof the can has a peripheral bead which forms a downwardly facing outercircumferential shoulder 12.

The plastic body is formed with four radial portions 14 to overlap topportions of the four cans respectively. Each of these radial portions 14is formed with an arcuate shoulder 15 on its underside, the shoulderbeing curved to fit snugly against the inner side of the bead 10 of thecorresponding can as may be seen in FIGURE 3. Each of the radialportions 14 is further formed with la plurality of downwardly-extending,hook-shaped teeth 16 to engage the outer circumferential shoulder of thecorresponding bead in the manner shown in FIGURE 3. In the constructionshown there are two sets on each of the radial portions 14 comprisingtwo pairs of teeth on opposite sides of the center of the radialportion. As may be seen in FIGURE 3, each tooth 16 has a pointed end orend edge 18, the tooth being tapered to provide an inclined face 20 forcam action by the bead of a can. Thus, to assemble the plastic body to acan, it is merely necessary to position the plastic body correctlyrelative to the cam and then to force the plastic body or clip downward.As the inclined face 20 of a tooth moves against the bead of a can, thebead flexes the tooth radially outwardly of the can by cam action, thetooth subsequently snapping back into engagement with the bead;

A feature of the invention is the concept of providing an aperture 22 inthe plastic body adjacent the root of each of the teeth 16, the aperturebeing on the hook side of the tooth, as may be seen in FIGURE 3. Theprovision of such an aperture lends flexibility to the correspondingtooth 16 with respect to flexure of the tooth away from the bead of acan. Thus, apertures 22 facilitate the assembling of a plastic clip to agroup of cans. In the construction shown, a slit or slot 24 extends fromeach aperture 22 along each side of the corresponding tooth 16 toprovide further freedom for flexure of a tooth. Thus, the deflection ofa tooth by a bead of a can in the assembling of the clip to a can isaccomplished. principally by flexure of the toothin the root regionindicated by numeral 25 in FIGURE 3.

Two of the plastic clips in this first embodiment of the invention maybe used to secure together a group of six cans in the manner indicatedin FIGURE 1. It is contemplated that the plastic clips employed for thispurpose will have relatively large central apertures 26 so that thegroup of cans shown in FIGURE 1 may be readily picked up by a person byinserting a forefinger into the central aperture 26 of one of the twoclips and inserting the thumb of the same hand into the central apertureof the other clip. In this embodiment of the invention, the plastic bodyis further provided with a downwardly extending flange or skirt 28around the rim of the central aperture 26 and the bottom edge of thisflange is suitably rounded as indicated, to, avoid discomfort to aperson carrying the group of cans. A feature of the invention is thatthe skirt 28 is closely adjacent the downwardly extending teeth 16 ofthe plastic clip and extends beyond the pointed ends of the teeth toserve as guards for the pointed ends. Thus, if a plastic clip is removedfrom the cans by a purchaser and is placed upside down on a supportsurface with the sharp ends of the teeth pointing upward, thecylindrical flange 28 will minimize the possibility of a person beinginadvertently injured by the pointed teeth.

It is desirable to make the central aperture 26 of the plastic cliprelatively large. In this regard, a feature of this first embodiment ofthe invention is that the two pairs of teeth of each of the radialportions 14 are spaced apart with a relatively large gap, It is apparentthat with this spacing the central aperture 26 may be made of largerdiameter than would otherwise be possible.

It is to be noted that each of the radial portions14 forms a marginaltongue 30 that extends beyond the bead 10 of the corresponding can tooverhang the top wall 32 of the can. As may be seen in FIGURES 3 and 4,each of these marginal tongues may be tapered on its underside asindicated at 34 to facilitate manual removal of the plastic clip from agroup of carg. The can may also be separated from the plastic clip bysimply swinging the lower ends of the cans away from each other to causethe top walls 32 of the cans to rock against the tongues 30.

An important advantage of the described embodiment of the invention isthat it may be assembled to cans that are packed tightly together in acase. FIGURE 7 shows a number of cans in a case 35 and shows therelative positions of the plastic clips for interlocking groups of cansin the case, each group consisting of two rows of three cans each. Withthe cans packed, together in the case, it is merely necessary toposition the plastic clips as shown and then force the clips downward toengage the cans with the previously described snap action. High impactstyrene is sufficiently rigid to secure the cans together with sucheffectiveness as to unit the cans to function as a single package. Onthe other hand, there is sufficient flexibility in high impact styreneto permit the toothshaped teeth 16 to function in the described manner.

FIGURE 5 shows how the invention may be embodied in a plastic clip 26for interconnecting a pair of cans. The plastic clip 36 has two oppositeradial portions 38 which are constructed and function in the samegeneral manner as the radial portions 14 of the first embodiment of theinvention. In this instance, each of the radial portions 38 has two setsof three teeth 16 spaced apart on its opposite halves. Each of theradial portions has the usual arcuate shoulder 15 on its underside toengage the inner side or inner circumference of the bead 10 of thecorresponding can. Each of the radial portions 38 is formed with atongue 40 which serves the same purpose as a previously described tongue30, the underside of the tongue 40 being tapered back to the dotted line42.

It is contemplated that the plastic clip 36 will project downwardlyadjacent the teeth 16 to guard the pointed ends of the teeth asheretofore described. For this purpose the underside of the plastic clip36 may be formed with a V-shaped flange 44. As may be seen in FIGURE 8,the flange 44 is formed with a rounded edge and extends below thepointed ends of the teeth 16.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a plastic clip 50 for interconnecting threesymmetrically positioned tangentially abutting cans. The plastic clip 50has three radial portions 52 that are constructed and function aspreviously described. Thus, each of the radial portions is provided witha plurality of teeth '16 and is further provided with an arcuateshoulder 15 on its underside to engage the inner circumference of thehead of the corresponding can. In this instance each of the radialportions 52 is provided with three pairs of the teeth 16. Each of theradial portions is formed with a tongue 54 of the same configuration asthe tongues 40 of the plastic clip 36.

The plastic clip 50 may project downwardly to guard the pointed ends ofthe teeth 16. For this purpose, the plastic clip is provided with threeflanges 55 on its underside and is further provided with a centraltubular flange 56. Each of these flanges is of the cross-sectional shapeand relative depth indicated in FIGURE 8.

FIGURES 9 to 14, inclusive, illustrate an alternate embodiment of thedisclosed clip and, considering FIGURE 9, it will be seen that a unitarymultiple segment clip is indicated generally at 60. Specifically, themultiple segment comprises a first clip segment 62 and a second clipsegment 64. The clip segments 62 and 64 are integrally joined by collar66 which is connected at opposed ends to the respective segments. Forpurposes of the disclosure herein, it will be understood that thesegments 62 and 64 are identical in structure and, accordingly, adescription of only one segment need be set out. Considering the clipsegment 62, it will be understood that a base or central planar portion68 is provided, the upper surface of which will be considered as areference plane for the subsequent structural description. Centrally ofthe segment 62, the planar portion 68 is provided with an integral,downwardly-extending wall 70. The wall 70 is generally circular in formas well as being annularly continuous to provide a finger hole forappropriate grasping of the clip-associated containers. Specifically,the integral unit of FIGURE 9 is provided with two apertures 72 and 74respectively associated with the clip segments 62 and 64. As in theearlier described embodiments, the wall 70 extends downwardlysubstantially below the tip of the hook-like container gripping segmentsand thus provide the heretofore mentioned safety feature. Semiarcuatedepressions 76, 76 may be provided in each wall 70 and have a measure ofutility as guide cavities for use in automatic packaging of cans whichis not here disclosed because it is not per so within the purview of thearticle invention here described. The clip 62 further comprisesquadrantally arranged radial portions 78, 78. Each radial portion 78comprises an upraised wall segment 80 extending above the planar portion68 and in the form of an are, as best seen in FIGURE 9, said arc beingprovided with a radius equivalent to that of the containers to bepackaged. The upraised wall 80 extends outwardly to a terminal pointwhereat it is bent generally downwardly to form an integral,downwardly-extending wall 82, said wall 82 defining, together with aportion of the upraised segment 80, an arcuate internal cavity 86, (FIG-URE 14). The cavity 86 is provided with a continuously arced corner 88which, as in the previous embodiments, serves to firmly engage thearcuate bead of the related carried containers. Returning to the planarsection 68, it will be noted that apertures 90, 90 are provided in theplanar segment 68 at spaced points and immediately above the internalcavity 86. As is best illustrated in FIGURE 13, the planar section 68communicates with a downwardly-projecting, hook-like can retainerelement 92 by integral formation with the wall 68 and immediatelyadjacent the respective apertures 90. Again, this construction of eachhook-like element being formed immediately adjacent a related aperture90, adds flexibility to the hook-like structure. As best seen in FIGURE11, each hook-like segment 90 comprises downwardly tapered sides 94 and96 which terminate at the bottom thereof in a relatively sharp point 98.The bottom surface of each hook-like segment 92, and beginning with theterminal point 98, is provided with an upwardly-directed cam surface100, said cam surface 100 being directed toward an upwardly-directedsecondary cam surface 102 defined on the lower end of the wall 82. Itwill further be understood that the hook-like segment 92 is biasedradially outwardly, in its normal position, while the wall 82 isnormally biased inwardly. Thus, the hook-like segment 92 and the wall 82are biased toward each other and define therebetween an opening 104which communicates with the cavity 86. Additionally, the cam surfaces100 and 102 are in angular converging relation to each other and areboth directed to the opening 104, the cam surface 100 being locatedbelow the cam surface 102, as seen in vertical elevation.

As another feature of the invention, the hook-like segment 92 isprovided with a tip 110 which is raised above the adjacent communicatingsurface, as seen in the elevational view of FIGURE 13, to provide asharp line of contact with the underside of the adjacent head of thecan. Thus, the tip 110 under the flexing action of the hook-like segment92 is pressured into intimate engagement with the line of juncturebetween the bead segment of the can lid and the related adjacent wallsection of the container.

As an additional feature of the disclosed embodiment of the invention,it will be noted that the upraised segment communicates centrally ofeach radial portion 78 with a pronounced outwardly-extending finger tab112. The lower surface 114 of the finger tab 112 is preferably locatedat or slightly above the upper surface of the planar segment 68 whenseen in elevational view. Thus the undersurface of the tab 112 isreadily accessible to the finger of the user, thus facilitatingcontainer disassembly, as will be subsequently described.

Certain inherent advantages in use will readily be apparent from thestructure just described. For example, the particular location of thecam surfaces and 102 facilitates easy assembly of the clip to therelated cans. For example, when the clip is brought downwardly againstthe generally arcuate bead of the related can top, the bead initiallyengages the lower cam surface 100 of the flexible hook-like segments 92.By virtue of the cam action of this engagement, the bead is moved towardthe surface 102 of the wall 82. Upon contact with the cam surface 102,the bead is automatically positioned for proper entry into the cavity86. Additionally, concurrent abutting engagement with the cam surfaces100 and 102 by the head of the container tends to bias thedownwardly-extending, hook-like segments 92 and the wall 82 away fromeach other, increasing the aperture opening 104 to provide properadmission of the bead. Thus, both the wall and the hook-like segmentflex away from each other to admit the head into the cavity 86 and, uponcomplete admission into the cavity 86, they snap back to approximatelytheir original location and maintains a biasing pressure on the innerand outer areas of the bead. The importance of this relatively easy andaccurately automatic location of the container bead relative to itsreceiving cavity 86 will be more clearly understood when considerationis given to the tremendous volume of cans which are currently processedand packaged. Specifically, the relatively automatic location of thebead relative to the retaining hook-like segment 92 and the cavity 86saves time and importantly improves the eificiency of multiple containerpackaging.

Additionally, after the packaging operation has been completed, thedescribed form and structure of the hooklike segment 92 as well as theadjacent cooperating portion of the wall 82, being in a flexedcondition, tend to pressureengage the associated bead on opposed sidesthereof, thus providing safe and positive can packaging and eliminatingthe possibility of accidental disassociation during user transport.

The additional feature of the pronounced release tabs 112 will becomeapparent when consideration is given to the fact that upward pressure onthe tab '112 and consequent upward motion thereby induces thecounter-clockw1se or outward bending of the immediately adjacentconnected wall 82, thus flexibly biasing the wall 82 out of engagementwith the inner surface of the related can bead and enlarging theaperture 104 between the wall 82 and the hook-like segment 92. With thisin mind, it will be apparent that convenient and easy disassembly of agiven container from the clip is accomplished by this tab action.Further, the normal pressure during transport of the users fingerslocated in the apertures 72 and 74 is directed against the walls 70 andtoward each other. This pressure tends to buckle or bow the over allclip unit 60, thus biasing the carried containers or cans toward eachother into a closely related, composite group.

From the above, it will be understood that the disclosed inventionprovides an important advancement in the art of container packaging, notonly from the standpoint of economy and efficiency in containerpackaging, but also from the standpoint of increased utility to theultimate container user. My description in specific detail of theselected embodiments of the invention will suggest various changes,

substitutions and other departures from my invention within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fastening device for releasably securing together a plurality ofsymmetrically positioned cans, each having at its upper end a peripheralbead forming a downwardlyfa'cing outer circumferential shoulder, saiddevice comprising:

a body of resiliently flexible plastic material for positioning at thecenter of the plurality of cans to overlap a portion of the top of eachcan,

said body having arcuate shoulders on its underside to engage the innersides of the beads of the respective cans and having a plurality ofdownwardly-extending, resiliently-flexible, hook-shaped teeth forcooperation with each of said arcuate shoulders to hook under the outercircumferential shoulder of the corresponding head,

said body being apertured adjacent the root of each of said teeth on thehook side of the tooth to facilitate fiexure of the tooth for engaging abead of a can,

said teeth being tapered in thickness with downwardly pointed ends forcam action by the head of the corresponding cans,

said body projecting downward adjacent said teeth below the ends of theteeth to guard the pointed ends of the teeth when the body is removedfrom the pinrality of cans.

said body having marginal tongue portions to overlie the respective cansto facilitate disengagement of the body from the cans,

said body of plastic material being completely preformed for effectiveengagement with the plurality of cans whereby the body can be engagedwith a plurality of cans simply by merely forcing the body against theends of the cans to cause each of said teeth to flex outward to passsaid outer circumferential shoulder of a can and then to flex inwardinto engagement with the circumferential shoulder.

2. A fastening device as set forth in claim 1,

which has a central aperture large enough to admit a finger for carryingthe plurality of cans,

said central aperture being formed with a downwardlyextending flange,said flange being adjacent said teeth and constituting the downwardprojection of the body to guard the teeth.

3. A fastening device for releasably interconnecting a pair oftangentially abutting cans, each having at its upper end a peripheralbead forming a downwardly-facing outer circumferential shoulder, saiddevice comprising:

a body of resiliently-flexible plastic material with two oppositeportions to overlap portions of the tops of the two cansrespectively,

each of said portions of the body having an arcuate shoulder on itsunderside to engage the inner side of the head of the corresponding can,

said portions of the body having two pairs of downwardly-extending,resiliently-flexible, hook-shaped teeth lying respectively on oppositesides of its center to hook under the outer circumferential shoulder ofthe head of the corresponding can,

said teeth being tapered in thickness with downwardly tapered ends forcam action by the bead of the corresponding cans,

each of said portions of the body having downward extensions adjacentthe teeth thereof and spaced therefrom extending downward at least asfar as the teeth to serve as guards for the teeth when the body isremoved from the cans,

each of said portions of the body being formed with a central marginaltongue to facilitate removal of the body from the cans,

said body of plastic material being completely preformed for effectiveengagement with the plurality of cans whereby the body can be engagedwith a plurality of cans simply by merely forcing the body against theends of the cans to cause each of said teeth to flex outward to passsaid outer circumferential shoulder of a can and then to flex inwardinto engagement with thecircumferential shoulder.

4. A fastening device for releasably securing together a plurality ofsymmetrically positioned cams, each having at its upper end a peripheralbead forming a downwardlyfacing outer circumferential ledge, saidfastening device comprising:

a body of resilient plastic material positioned intermediate the.plurality of cans, said'body including radial portions each overlyingone of said cans, each radial portion including a cavity arranged toreceive and hold said bead, said cavity being defined by a shoulderengaging the inner surface of the related bead, said body having anopening above a substantial portion of said cavity, each radial portionhaving at least one downwardlyextending resilient'hook-shaped tooth tounderlie said head and engage said downwardly-facing ledge, and, saidtooth having a sloped lower end portion to guide the bead to the cavityduring assembly of the device to the cans by relative axial movementbetween the cans and device such that said shoulder and said tooth areflexed away relative to each other to admit said bead into said cavity,and each body opening being immediately above one of said hook-shapedteeth and dimensioned so as to permit flexing of the associated toothand shoulder to permit the fastening device to be secured to the canswith a minimum stressing of the plastic material thereof. 5. A deviceaccording to claim 4 wherein: said shoulder has a sloped lower endportion, and the sloped lower end portions of the shoulder and tooth areinclined toward each other and said cavity to guide the can bead to thecavity during assembly of the device .on the cans by relative axialmovement between the cans and device such that said shoulder and saidtooth are flexed away relative to each other to admit said head intosaid cavity. 6. A device according to claim 5 wherein: the sloped lowerend portion on said tooth is positioned below the sloped lower endportion on said shoulder. 7. A one-piece, entirely preformed, fasteningdevice for releasably securing together a plurality of symmetricalpositioned cans each having at its upper end a peripheral bead forming adownwardly-facing outer circumferential shoulder, said devicecomprising:

a body of resiliently flexible plastic material for positioning at thecenter of the plurality of cans, said body having a radial portion tooverlap each can of the plurality of cans, each of said radial portionsbeing formed with a shoulder on its underside to engage the inner sideof the bead of the corresponding can, each of said radial portions beingformed with at least one downwardly-extending, resiliently-flexible,tooth having a shank portion and a hook-shaped portion on the lower endof the shank to hook under the outer circumferential shoulder of thehead of the corresponding can, i

said shank portion being spaced from said shoulder along its length toprovide a cavity in which said bead is positioned, said hook-shapedportion extending toward said shoulder and being spaced therefrom adistance less than the radial thickness of the can head,

said body having a continuous slot immediately above said hook-shapedportion of the tooth,

said body of plastic material being completely preformed for effectiveengagement with the plurality of cans such that the body can be engagedwith a plurality of cans by merely forcing the body toward the ends ofthe cans to cause said tooth and shoulder to flex apart relative to eachother to admit said can bead into said cavity and then to flex inwardrelative to each other to grip the can bead.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein each radial portion has anintegral outwardly extending tab which is manually engaged by the usersfingers and swung toward the body of the device.

9. A fastening device for releas-ably securing together a plurality ofsymmetrically positioned cans each having at its upper end a peripheralbead forming a downwardlyfacing outer circumferential shoulder, saiddevice comprising:

a body of resiliently flexible plastic material for positioning at thecenter of the plurality of cans,

said body having a radial portion to overlap each can of the pluralityof cans,

each of said radial portions being for-med with a shoulder on itsunderside to engage the inner side of the head of the corresponding can,

each of said radial portions being formed with a plurality ofdownwardly-extending, resiliently-flexible, hook-shaped teeth to hookunder the outer circumferential shoulder of the bead of thecorresponding can, said teeth being tapered in thickness with downwardlypointed ends and a portion of said body projects downward adjacent theteeth below the ends of the teeth to guard the pointed ends of the teethwhen the body is removed from the plurality of cans,

said plurality of teeth comprising at least one tooth on the two halvesrespectively of the radial portion,

said body of plastic material being completely preformed for effectiveengagement with the plurality of cans whereby the body can be engagedwith a plurality of cans simply by merely forcing the body against theends of the cans to cause each of said teeth to flex outward to passsaid outer circumferential shoulder of a can and then to flex inwardinto engagement with the circumferential shoulder.

10. A preformed, unitary plastic clip adapted for application to aplurality of cans to assemble the cans to form a package, said cans eachhaving a peripheral bead extending radially outward and upward from atleast one end thereof, comprising:

(a) a substantially unitary body portion,

() a plurality of legs integral with and extending radially outward fromsaid body, the number of said legs being equal to the number of cans tobe assembled,

(c) a downwardly extending tooth-like structure integral with the outerextremity of each leg and engageable with the outer face of said canhead,

(d) a connector unit integral with each of said legs and extendingoutwardly therefrom, each connector unit being above, spaced from, andvertically remote from said tooth-like structure,

(e) an extension on each connector unit, said extension being spacedfrom said tooth-like structure, and

(f) a downwardly extending shoulder integral with each extension andengageable with the inner face of said can head, said tooth-likestructure and said shoulder being flexible relatively away from eachother to admit said can head therebetween upon the clip being movedaxially toward said cans, and each of said extensions on each connectorunit being spaced from an associated tooth-like structure by an openingpositioned immediately thereabove and dimensioned so as to permit saidrelative flexing of the clip with a minimum stressing of the plasticmaterial thereof.

'11. A clip according to claim 10 wherein said connector unit includestwo spaced flexible elements, one element being located immediatelybeyond the end of each tooth-like structure.

12. A clip according to claim '10 wherein said toothlike structure has adownwardly tapering bottom face to guide the can head to a positionbetween the shoulder and structure when the clip is moved axially towardsaid cans.

13. A clip according to claim 10 wherein each of said tooth-likestructures and shoulders have a downwardly tapering bottom face, thetaper of said tooth-like structure being toward the shoulder and viceversa, to guide the can head between the shoulder and structure when theclip is moved axially toward the cans.

14. A clip according to claim 13 wherein the tapered bottom face of thetooth-like structure extends downwardly below the tapered bottom face ofthe shoulder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,800,109 4/1931 Selig 206-2,170,204 8/ 1939 Lemoine 24-138 2,566,804 9/ 1951 La Plamme et al.24-81 2,815,855 112/ 1957 Fisher 24-81 2,838,818 6/1958 Brennan 24-812,876,897 3/1959 Taylor 206-65 3,002,612 10/ 1961 Poupitch 206-653,022,888 2/ 196 2 Brunsing 24-81 3,199,908 8/1965 'Poupitch 206-65c XRTHERON E. CONDO'N, Primary Examiner,

A. G. STONE, M. H. WOOD, 112., D. G. STOCKING, Examiners.

L. O. MAASSEL, D. S. GRIFFIN, Assistant Examiners.

1. A FASTENING DEVICE FOR RELEASABLY SECURING TOGETHER A PLURALITY OFSYMMETICALLY POSITIONED CANS, EACH HAVING AT ITS UPPER END A PERIPHERALBEAD FORMING A DOWNWARDLYFACING OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER, SAIDDEVICE COMPRISING: A BODY OF RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL FORPOSITIONING AT THE CENTER OF THE PLURALITY OF CANS TO OVERLAP A PORTIONOF THE TOP OF EACH CAN, SAID BODY HAVING ARCUATE SHOULDERS ON ITSUNDERSIDE TO ENGAGE THE INNER SIDES OF THE BEADS OF THE RESPECTIVE CANSAND HAVING A PLURALITY OF DOWNWARDLY-EXTENDING, RESILIENTLY-FLEXIBLE,HOOK-SHAPED TEETH FOR COOPERATION WITH EACH OF SAID ARCUATE SHOULDERS TOHOOK UNDER THE OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER OF THE CORRESPONDING BEAD;SAID BODY BEING APERTURED ADJACENT THE ROOT OF EACH OF SAID TEETH ON THEHOOK SIDE OF THE TOOTH TO FACILITATE FLEXURE OF THE TOOTH FOR ENGAGING ABEAD OF A CAN, SAID TEETH BEING TAPERED IN THICKNESS WITH DOWNWARDLYPOINTED ENDS FOR CAM ACTION BY THE BEAD OF THE CORRESPONDING CANS, SAIDBODY PROJECTING DOWNWARD ADJACENT SAID TEETH BELOW THE ENDS OF THE TEETHTO GUARD THE POINTED ENDS OF THE TEETH WHEN THE BODY IS REMOVED FROM THEPLURALITY OF CANS. SAID BODY HAVING A MARGINAL TONGUE PORTIONS TOOVERLIE THE RESPECTIVE CANS TO FACILITATE DISENGAGEMENT OF THE BODY FROMTHE CANS, SAID BODY OF PLASTIC MATERIAL BEING COMPLETELY PREFORMED FOREFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PLURALITY OF CANS WHEREBY THE BODY CAN BEENGAGED WITH A PLURALITY OF CANS SIMPLY BY MERELY FORCING THE BODYAGAINST THE ENDS OF THE CANS TO CAUSE EACH OF SAID TEETH TO FLEX OUTWARDTO PASS SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER OF A CAN AND THEN TO FLEXINWARD INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER.